Thuringian Basin

The Thuringian Basin is a basin landscape in the central and northern part of Thuringia. It extends from the upper to the lower Unstrut below Dingelstädts Ilm in Bad Sulza about 90 kilometers to the west-northwest - east-southeast and by the Wipper breakdown below Seegas to the straight line joining Arnstadt about 55 kilometers from north northeast to south-southwest. Its area is about 2,700 square kilometers, or about one- sixth of the area of Thuringia with about 650,000 inhabitants ( population density 163 inhabitants per km ²). The majority of the landscape is drained by the river system of the Unstrut and between 130 and 300 meters height.

Geographically, constitutes the core pool of the same main unit within the main unit group Thuringian basin ( with edge plates ) is to still the Gera -Unstrut valley as part of the main unit Gera Unstrut helmets lowlands along the Gera from Erfurt and the Unstrut of the Gera mouth to must be added to the Thuringian gate.

4.1 counties, cities and towns
4.2 Settlement history
4.3 Management history

Topography

Location and boundaries

The core of the Thuringian Basin is the flat landscape right and left of the Unstrut, which is bounded by the following mountain ranges:

Hainichfoto in the West
Upper calibration field in the northern West
Fertilizer in the northwest
Hainleite in the North
Accessorize in the Northeast
Finn in the East
Ilm -Saale- plate together with Steigerwald in the southeast
Ohrdrufer plate together with pure mountains in the south
Ridges of Eichenberg -Gotha - Saalfeld fault zone with three of a kind, seamounts and Krahnberg in the southwest.

Is interrupted, except in the southwest, almost continuous hem only a few notable valleys, the most important are the following ( clockwise from the west):

Unstrut joining Dachrieden (approx. 240 m)
Helbe - joining Wiedermuth (250 m )
Wipper - joining Günserode ( 150 m)
Unstrut outlet (Thuringian gate) between Saxony castle and Oldisleben (approx. 125 m)
Deer Brook joining Burgwenden (about 230 m)
Lossa - joining Rastenberg (200 m )
Ilm- exit near Bad Sulza (approx. 115 m - near the confluence with the Saale)
Ilm- joining Weimar (200 m )
Gera entry in Arnstadt (approx. 280 m)
Wild White - entry in the West Arnstadt (approx. 280 m)
Apfelstädt entrance south Seeber gene ( about 280 m)
Wilder trench joining Gotha (approx. 280 m)
Nesse exit at Wangenheim (approx. 255 m)

Especially the latter Talungen of Apfelstädt, Wilder ditch and Nesse along the Eichenberg -Gotha - Saalfeld fault zone are not very pronounced. The subsequent to the southwest, almost completely dewatered to Werra Keuper landscape of the (inner) West Thuringian mountain and hill country continues the landscape character of the Thuringian Basin for a total of slightly higher position and harsher climate to the southwest.

At the core basin itself a smaller, southern part of basin between Arnstadt in the south, in the north of Erfurt and Weimar is separated in the north- east by the inner shell limestone ridges Fahnersche height and Etter Mountain.

In the southeast of the larger, northern part of the basin the boundary of the basin to the expiring northeast Ilm -Saale- plate at Apolda is topographically blurred

Nature regions

With the Thuringian Basin, the 2528 km ² large natural spatial main unit 482 of the main unit group is 47/48 Thuringian basin called ( with edge plates ) in the manual of the biogeographic division of Germany. It contains the core pool inclusive of the inner shell limestone hills Etter Mountain, Fahner height and Heilinger heights, but without the 200 km ² engaging Gera Unstrut valley, which forms its own main unit together with the helmets Unstrut lowlands beyond the Thuringian gate.

The south-west side of the mountain oak -Gotha - Saalfeld fault zone subsequent basin landscape forms the core area of the adjacent main unit West Thuringian mountains and hills.

Inner Thuringian acre hill country

The Thuringian State Office for Environment and Geology ( TLUG ) has under the natural areas of Thuringia on a slightly coarser, only nationwide one hurrying natural spatial system, which the Thuringian Basin in the strict sense to the south-west side of the Eichenberg -Gotha - Saalfeld fault zone adjacent to Inner Thuringian acre hill country pool the Hörselgau - Großenlupnitzer dump, the core basin of the West Thuringian mountain and hill country, summarizing. This includes 2958 km ², together with the island-like ridges Fahner height and Etter Mountain and also the specially designated floodplains Gera Unstrut lowland and Unstrut Mulhouse Bad Langensalza even 3226 km ², which is about one fifth of the area of Thuringia.

The ridges Krahnberg, seamounts, three of a kind and Heilinger heights are not reported in that system as a sub- natural areas, the external borders of the basin landscape are a total of slightly more drawn than in the manual.

Surveys

→ main portion to the outer height profile

The altitude of the Thuringian (core) basin decreases from south and west to the east from.

While the marginal ridges partly have a highland region, exist inside. apart from Etter Mountain and Fahner shear height, not really very high elevations.

Below the main - edge plates, the southwestern edge heights and internal surveys of the core basin each separately listed and internally the altitude above mean sea after ordered:

Edge plates Ohrdrufer plate: 605 meters ( net mountains )
Fertilizer: 522 meters
Upper calibration field: 517 yards on immediate water's edge, at the Gobert to 569 meters
Ilm -Saale- plate: 513 meters in the pool edge nearby ( Riechheimer mountain ), at Singen mountain to 583 meters
Hainichfoto: 494 meters
Hainleite: 463 meters
High -cricket - Decorate - fin: 380 meters

Krahnberg: 431 meters
Three of a kind (south-eastern Teilhöhenzug ): 421 meters ( Wachsenburggemeinde )
Seamounts: 409 meters
Three of a kind ( northwesterly Teilhöhenzug ): 399 meters
Lohberg ( western edge dam Tüngeda / Wangenheim ): 333 meters

Etter Mountain: 478 meters
Fahner Height: 413 meters
Heilinger heights: 368 meters
Large Harth: 367 meters
List Berg: 304 meters ( west Rehestädts, near three of a kind )
Buttelstedt Saddle: 281 meters (south of Upper tearing )
Wartberg hill: 278 meters ( north-east Nägelstedts )
Kölledaer Saddle: 265 meters ( south Ostramondras )
Sprötauer Saddle: 254 meters ( Big Wart hill northwest Vippachedelhausens )
Vargulaer hill: 252 meters (southeast Großvargulas )

Waters

The most important river in the Thuringian basin is the Unstrut that drains almost the entire basin. Only the Nesse in the southwest flows to the Weser and the Emsenbach in the southeast of the Ilm in the Saale.

Major tributaries of the Unstrut are in the tank ( downstream from the source):

Notter, from left at Bollstedt
Gera, from right at Gebesee Wipfra, right at Eischleben
Apfelstädt, left at Molsdorf

Scherkonde, left at Frohsdorf

For industrial water for agriculture in the more common dry periods in summer numerous small dams were built, while there is virtually no major natural lakes in the Thuringian basin. The flood retention basins Straußfurt is at a maximum water area of 9 km ², is a large basin for flood protection on the Unstrut.

Geology

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The edges of the Thuringian Basin are of limestone mountain ranges (including Hainich, Upper calibration field, fertilizer, Hainleite, decorations, marginal ridge of the fin, pure mountains ) formed in the southwest of the Thuringian Forest. The Thuringian basin belongs geologically to the Triassic period, in which horizontal layers of sandstone, limestone and Keuper were deposited. Among them are salt and gypsum deposits of the Zechstein. In the Tertiary the surrounding mountain ranges were uplifted during the Thuringian basin was deeper than plaice in fracture zones.

Climate

The Thuringian Basin is one of the driest regions in Germany with annual precipitation of partially below 500 mm. The natural area represent two weather stations, they are in Artern northeast of the core zone and in Bindersleben (on the Alacher height). While the Arterner station is situated at only 164 meters high, the binder Haderslev station is at 316 meters above sea level. This Artern can be considered representative of the situated directly on the Unstrut deep parts of the basin, while Bindersleben is representative of the higher margins. The precipitate was in the long-term average (1961-1990) at 500 mm, the average temperature was 7.9 ° C. In Artern there were 457 mm and 8.5 ° C. Characteristic of the climate, the shielded position of the pelvis to the north ( resin ), South ( Thuringian Forest) and the West is ( Hessian Mountain region ). This makes for a total of low rainfall and frequent long dry periods and a relatively low wind, sunny climate. These factors work together with the fertile ground for good conditions for profitable agriculture. However, the area is thus vulnerable to crop failures due to droughts. While this was a big problem before, now largely new drought-resistant varieties are planted, can tolerate a greater degree of drought.

Human Geography

Counties, cities and towns

The Thuringian basin occupies almost the entire counties Sömmerda and Unstrut Hainich. Also, large parts of the Kyffhaeuser circle are in the basin. There are also parts of the country Weimar (Northwest), of the Ilm -Kreis (North) and the district of Gotha (north).

The largest town in the Thuringian basin is Erfurt with over 200,000 residents. It is, like the other large cities, on the edge of the basin, while the center is dominated by small towns. One of the major cities on the edge include not only Weimar ( 65,000 inhabitants), Gotha ( 45,000 inhabitants) and Arnstadt ( 25,000 inhabitants) and Mulhouse ( 36,000 inhabitants) and Bad Langensalza ( 18,000 inhabitants). The only large city in the center is Sömmerda (20,000 inhabitants). In addition, some small cities are located in the pelvis: Ebeleben and vent home in the Northwest, Großenehrich, Clingen, Greußen and Weissensee in the middle, Gebesee and Bad Tennstedt in the south, Kindelbrueck and Kölleda the northeast and Rastenberg, Eckartsberga, Buttstädt, Buttelstedt and Neumark in the southeast. Neumark part with about 480 inhabitants of the smallest cities in Germany. Characteristic of the cities are their old age and their mostly fixed, marked by very old buildings city cores. This applies to large cities such as Erfurt and Mühlhausen equally to such small towns like Weissensee or Buttstädt.

The villages in the Thuringian basin are rather large accumulations of farms and Craftsman houses in comparison to other areas. Detached Homesteads missing here, however, almost completely. Many of these villages were fortified in the Middle Ages in different ways and developed into semi-urban places, such as Großengottern, Gräfentonna or Herb life, which is still important buildings such as churches and castles testify water.

Settlement history

Due to its favorable living conditions, the Thuringian basin is inhabited human for a long time. Thus, a roughly 400,000 year-old human skeleton was found at the find site Bilzingsleben, making it one of the oldest evidence of the genus Homo in Central Europe. Also the Ehringsdorf primitive man has with about 120,000 years to a great age.

From the centuries around the birth of Christ has produced some settlement and numerous grave finds. To lie in Westgreußen remains of a Germanic settlement from the 2nd century BC. In Haarhausen a Roman pottery was discovered dating from the 3rd century AD, the exchange processes between the Roman Germania and the area of the Thuringian Basin occupied. Cemeteries and other finds from this period occur in the Thuringian basin at high density and underline the importance as residential areas.

After the displacements of the migration period and the emergence of the Thuringian kingdom probably started the continuous colonization with first local start-ups. With the onset of literacy in the region in the 8/9 Century, many villages were already existent, which have now been systematically written down for the first time, especially in the monastery directories. Main sources of this period are the Breviarium Sancti Lulli of Hersfeld Monastery, the Codex Eberhardi the monastery of Fulda or Hersfeld tithe directory. Among the oldest surviving writing styles include Arnstadt, Miihlberg and Großmonra that were 704 named in the deed of gift Hedenschen. Erfurt 742 first appeared in connection with the bishopric founded by Boniface.

In the 11-12. Century developed the first urban settlements, initially without corresponding codified city rights. In Erfurt, those are available since about 1120. The former free imperial city of Mühlhausen is one of the oldest and most important cities of the Thuringian Basin. Another group of wealthy cities were the Waidstädte, was traded in local markets with the precious Dye plant Waid. This plant was grown to the late Middle Ages in the Thuringian basin and exported. Overall, for a long time prevailed a relatively high population density in the Thuringian basin.

The industrialization of the 19th century took place only to a small extent in the Thuringian basin. Retardant in addition to the lack of natural resources such as coal and ores was also the political Zersplittertheit the region, which belonged either to small Thuringian States or a peripheral part of the Prussian province of Saxony was. Thus, the economy continued to focus on agriculture and animal husbandry and their secondary industries such as meat processing, alcohol production and canning. Exceptions were only the big cities in the south of the basin, Erfurt and Gotha, in which some large industrial companies settled and Sömmerda, which received a boost by the resident defense industry in the early 20th century. Alter this structure also in the GDR era and after the reunification little of economic impulses in the region Erfurt apart. Due to the industrialization of agriculture yield and quality of products in the 20th century rose sharply at the same time were no longer needed manpower free and began migration to the cities and other regions. Thus the population is in the villages and small towns of this rural area since decades back slowly.

Administrative history

The Thuringian basin belonged to the heartland of the Thuringian kingdom and later the country county Thuringia, which fell in 1264 to the House of Wettin. Parts of the basin along the Unstrut included after the Leipzig division in 1485 to the Albertine areas and thus later the Thuringian district of the Electorate of Saxony. Other areas remained ernestinisch or were kurmainzerischer and black burger possession or part of the free imperial city of Mulhouse. The Albertine, kurmainzerischen and Muehlhaeuser territories were later than 1815 Prussia and remained until 1945 the Prussian government districts of Erfurt and Merseburg (in particular parts of the district Eckartsberga / Kölleda ). Northern and southern parts were, however, to the Thuringian States. After 1945 the whole area was assigned to the State of Thuringia, in the GDR 1952-1990 the district of Erfurt. From 1990, the landscape is one with some exceptions in the Northeast to the newly formed state of Thuringia.

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